Balanced Rock, More Lighthouses, and Views of Long Island and Brier Island, Nova Scotia. And Apple Cider Slushies.

As I mentioned in my last post, this strip of land was formed by a Triassic-age volcanic range that slowly erupted along fissures. As the thick lava that oozed from these cracks cooled slowly, polyagonal fracturing occurred, creating what we call columnar basalt. Most of these forms are hexagonal but can vary. Also varied is the length of the columns, with longer columns being indicative of slower cooling. One of the neatest examples of columnar basalt in the region is at Balanced Rock which is, as expected, a balanced rock – though this rock is quite impressive in that it is a column of basalt balanced on another column. Brier Island also has excellent examples of columnar basalt but really, it is possible to spot interesting geological formations just about anywhere on the shore.

As a cluster of rocky headlands and islands this stretch of coast comes with plenty of lighthouses too. Awesome geological features + ocean + forest + lighthouses = happy me.

And of course I also saw more lighthouses on Long Island and Brier Island, guarding ships from wrecking on the rocky coast.

While I was in this area I also had an unrelated, delightful experience when I stopped at a farm stand to pick up some fresh veggies: I got to talking with an extremely nice woman named Ellen, discussing traveling and hiking in the area and vegetables, and she gave me a free homemade apple cider slushie. Since I anticipated passing by on my way back north to go to Cape Breton I said I’d return to pick up more veggies, and when I did she gave me another one! They were both really delicious, and it was just really nice of her. So, if you’re ever near Wolfeville, Nova Scotia, go to Stirling Fruit Farm and get thee an apple cider slushie. I can also attest to their vegetables being really great, particularly their green peppers.